What to Expect in Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan isn’t something we typically think of as a ‘tourist destination’. When it comes to traveling abroad, we dream of going to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore or Thailand–we often forget about visiting Taipei, Taiwan, which is only 1,000 km from the Philippines.

This is why Taipei is so beautiful in its own way–an underrated and unassuming city that has a lot to offer. Cebu Pacific now offers direct flights from Cebu to Taipei thrice a week, which will get you to the capital of Taiwan in two hours.

Veer away from the mainstream and try visiting this eastern gem for a change. There’s a reason why, when Portuguese sailors caught a first glimpse of the island, they named it ‘Formosa’ (literally meaning ‘beautiful island‘).

Before you put Taipei into your next stop of destinations to visit, read on. This article prepares you on what to expect in Taipei, Taiwan.

What to Expect in Taipei, Taiwan

1. You don’t need a visa.

Up until July 31, 2019, Philippine travelers can now visit Taiwan, visa-free! This is a great chance for Filipinos to visit Taiwan because prior to that, Filipinos are required to apply for visa or ‘Travel Authorization Certificate. Take advantage of this visa-free treatment and see the beautiful and interesting country of Taiwan!

2. The Taiwanese are genuinely kind and helpful people!

I mostly relied on the kindness of strangers in Taiwan. Even their cab drivers. That statement needs to be bold for emphasis. Kind and honest cab drivers are like unicorns in Manila–they simply don’t exist in our ‘hood!

Case on point: When I first arrived to Taipei in the dead of the night (1AM), I took a cab from Taipei Main Station to get to the place we booked via Airbnb. My friend arrived a day before, and we decided to meet in a Family Mart near the address. When I hopped on the cab, the driver said there were actually three Family Marts in that area. I told my cab driver to drop me wherever and I can figure it out on my own.

“No, it’s too late for a lady to be out on her own!” he said, like a concerned grandpa. Instead, he took me to all three Family Marts and even accompanied me to look for my friend.He was also sweet enough to teach me a few Mandarin words that came really useful throughout my trip.

It is easy to befriend the Taiwanese people, and have had random friends we met in a restaurant, bar, or even on the streets. They will go out of their way to help you.

3. Taiwan is well-known for its gluttony.

Foodies will love Taiwan; because they have a great love affair with their food. You can’t talk about Taiwanese culture without mentioning their street food cuisine. Kinda unfair– they never seem to get fat.

I will go as far as to say that food should be the primary reason you’re going to Taiwan. Go all out and don’t think about dieting! Some of the famous Taiwanese food include: pearl milk tea, stinky tofu, oyster omelette, steamed dumplings, crispy chicken cutlets… everything. Most times, I don’t really know what type of animal or animal part I ordered–they surely don’t waste any animal part, and it all tastes good anyway.

Michelin-star restaurant Din Tai Fungoriginated here, so make sure to try their world-famous xiao long bao while in Taiwan.

They have the oddest restaurant and cafe concepts I’ve seen, probably only second to Japan. They have restaurants dedicated to Hello Kitty, the toilet, hospital, and more. It will be a good idea to go cafe-hopping and discover for yourself!

4. Things to see in and out of the city.

NYC has the Statue of Liberty and Paris has the Eiffel Tower… what iconic landmark Taipei have? There are two main landmarks in the city: The Taipei 101 tower and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial.

Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world until the completion of Burj Khalifa. Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taiwan and the largest green building in the world. You can see the whole of the city on their 89th Floor Observatory.

If you have the luxury, I recommend you go out of the city. Taiwan has so much beauty to offer with their unspoilt nature. Most famous day trips are the mountain towns Jiufen and Shifen, which I will write about in another blog entry soon.

5. They have sizzling nightlife.

There are plenty of things to do in Taiwan at night. With a lifestyle of 24-hour convenience stores, there’s always something happening–even at 5 in the morning.

So in a scale from 1 to Filipino, how seriously do the Taiwanese take their karaoke? Their KTVs are serious, lucrative business, and atmosphere is first-grade. It would be an experience to try it, but they don’t come cheap compared to our hulog-piso karaoke machines.

Ahh, and Taipei nightclubs are happening. There are too many nightclubs and I remember their names very vaguely; so after a quick Google searchI remember being or passing by most of these clubs: Barcode, Myst, OMNI, Room18–the clubs are all clustered in one area near Taipei 101 so they’re not that hard to spot.

One thing I noticed though: Taiwanese love to party without limits–they drink until they can’t stand up on their own feet. I always see Taiwanese men and women passed out drunk in toilets, in and out the clubs. In the nightclubs, all the toilets are expected occupied with puking girls by 2 in the mornin. I like to control my alcohol content and avoid losing my shoes, thank you.

6. Don’t haggle so much, don’t leave tips.

You don’t haggle so much in Taipei markets. You can ask for a discount, but you can’t get an item 80% 0ff its original price like you can in Mainland China or Thailand. This is because Taiwanese don’t like overpricing their goods, as they believe that the practice is dishonest and unethical. Try haggling 15%-20% off the price, and if you do, you’re lucky.

Tipping in Taiwan is generally not expected. On one occasion a friend was chased after the waiter when he left the restaurant for leaving his money behind. Tipping is also not expected by the Taiwanese taxi drivers, who are quick to give you your change to the last cent. 10%-15% service charge is already included in restaurants. Rule of thumb, 10%-15% tip is generally accepted in spas, salons and tour guides.

7. Internet?

Taiwan has the fattest internet service I’ve experienced, even compared to Western countries! The Taiwanese are just as obsessed as getting connected, so Filipinos won’t have any problem with wi-fi service at all.

Taiwan is the very first destination in the world that provides free wi-fi access for tourists for up to 30 days all over the country via iTaiwan. Simply go to the Tourist Service Center near you and show your passport or entry permit (if you’re from Mainland China) to staff.

Aside from that, wi-fi hotspots are available almost everywhere–cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, mini marts, MRT stations, everywhere! So you don’t have to worry about uploading your Snaps or Instagram posts on time. You’ll have no problems being connected while in Taiwan.

Another tip, the Taiwanese don’t use Whatsapp much. Instead, they prefer Line or Wechat. Maybe you can download these apps before your trip for easy communication access.

8. Shop for electronics, hoard in the night markets!

Taipei is also a shopper’s dream. Especially for electronics! As you know, a lot of technology brands originated here in Taiwan: Acer, Asus and HTC, to name a few. Everything is much cheaper here, and of higher quality than, say, China. Get your share of electronics at Guanghua Digital Plaza.

Taiwan is also known for their night markets. Their biggest and most famous one is the Shilin Night Market with thousands of stalls selling food, toys, clothes, shoes and souvenirs of all sorts!

For a first-world nation, Taiwan is surprisingly peso-friendly! 1 Taiwanese Dollar is pegged almost the same as the Philippine peso (Around our time of visit, 1NTD = 1.4 PHP) so no need to make annoying conversions in your head.

9. 24 Hour Convenience Stores is part of life.

24-hour convenience stores are an indispensable way of life in Taiwan. I mentioned earlier that our Airbnb place had three different Family Marts in one street. This isn’t actually commonplace across Taiwan–with over 10,000 convenience stores with one store to every 2,000 residents, the country has the highest mini mart density in the world. They sure love their convenience, and you will too. If you’re hungry post-party, you’re sure to get your fill, there’s bound to be a restaurant or shop open for you.

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17 thoughts on “What to Expect in Taipei, Taiwan”

Well, you just made me want to go visit Taipei! I miss 24 hour mini markets, we had those in Thailand and they are so practical! That dim sum place made me really hungry. All the best in your future travels!

Been thinking to go here if I got a Japanese Visa. I heard it could be used in Taiwan, given some cases. Anyway, Taiwan seems to encourage increasing number of visitors and I know now why. It looks like a complete package from food, structure, night life and even convenience. Would you mind sharing your expenses for this trip?

My husband went there for a business trip in the past. This made me and our kids interested to visit the place as well. Your shopping tips caught my interest. 😉 Taking note of that snce I’m used to shopping in Thailand! 🙂

I really love Taiwan ever since I was in 3rd year high school. Plus, I prefer it over Hong Kong. You’ve covered pretty much the great places in Taiwan for a short trip which is great. This post makes me want to go back to Taiwan this year. -Me-An of http://yogoandcream.com

I would like to go and visit Taiwan. The food in your pictures looks delicious (not so sure though about that toilet restaurant) and I am a fan of night markets. I used to love them in China, I could always eat delicious unknown food. I also like places where the tip is already included in the bill.

I’m from the Philippines and i agree with you that Taiwan is not a travel destination, well maybe those who are fan of Taiwanese drama but other than that I don’t think we are aware of the exciting culture they have and the food looks yummy too!

I love Taiwan because they don’t overprice their products. When you go to shopping you don’t need to worry you are going to be cheated and that someone will sell you product tree times more expensive than it is. Variety of gadgets you can find in Taipei is like nowhere on world and prices are fordable.

I love Taiwan. Generally, the people are honest. Notice too, that it is incredibly rare to hear sounds of cars honking? In night markets, notice how the vendors does not have to make sure no one steals? And yes, street food… jeez, Taipei is the street food capital of the world!